


Sparks

by Elinie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Gift Fic, Philosophy, Post-War, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29900172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elinie/pseuds/Elinie
Summary: There were days in his life when everything around was covered with snow, and the snowflakes sparkled silver under the moonlight. There were balls when purebred beauties curled around him, like fireflies from his childhood. So, he allowed himself weakness to enjoy their attention for a while. There were evenings, warmed by the fire of the fireplace, filled with an interesting chess game and the support of Minerva and Filius.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons Discord Members





	Sparks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LunaP999](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaP999/gifts).



> Happy birthday to Luna, the amazing, wonderful and magical human being! Be happy, Love <3

Darkness enveloped the world in a black impenetrable veil, hiding the moon and stars from prying eyes. Nights like this always brought silence and awakened old fears that always lurked somewhere nearby, waiting for the right moment to show up.

  
Snape had long since forgotten what it meant to be afraid. There was much more darkness in his life than one could imagine, and much more desperation to give up his life so easily. Therefore, he kept carrying on, living on, not paying attention to the burden of his past, that sometimes squeezed his chest and darkened his days.

  
When the darkness became too much, he went out to the Astronomical Tower and stood there for a long time, peering into the distance. Life went on, as usual, once again proving that everything changed and everything had a price. And over Black Lake, fireflies flew back and forth, scaring away the shadows approaching from the forest. Snape gripped the railing with white fingers and remembered his life once deprived of all the sparks of light.

  
When his parents' house was filled with screams and tears, when he ran away from there and began to wander the empty night streets, when despair became too much, the darkness of his days was ripped open by the sparks of lights lit in the windows, he was given the warmth of fireflies, his night was illuminated by the headlights of rare cars passing by...

  
Then, sometime after his childhood wanderings in darkness, Lily laughed and showed him how the magic of fire sparkled on her palm, and he watched her magic in fascination. Even if not for long, Snape believed that a miracle was possible in his life.

  
On the night when he lost her, he wandered along the autumn streets, not noticing the path under his feet, and listened to the people celebrating Samhain and launching fireworks somewhere in the distance. The multi-colored sparks that ripped open the sky seemed to him like a cruel irony of fate, but he still continued to admire the occasional flashes of light.

  
Then there were years of indifferent progress, but even then Snape did not lose hope of a happy outcome. There were days in his life when everything around was covered with snow, and the snowflakes sparkled silver under the moonlight. There were balls when purebred beauties curled around him, like fireflies from his childhood. So, he allowed himself weakness to enjoy their attention for a while. There were evenings, warmed by the fire of the fireplace, filled with an interesting chess game and the support of Minerva and Filius.

  
Suddenly the darkness finally broke off, and the sun rose in the lives of all War-heroes. Snape marveled at Lady Fortune's jokes but decided not to neglect her gifts.

  
The war ended, he returned to Hogwarts and began to observe how Miss Granger - his former student, and now - professor of Arithmancy, tried to tame her lazy children and earn the respect of her colleagues.

  
Her ginger Crookshanks ran around the Castle like a fiery spark, often visiting Snape. Unbeknownst to himself, Severus became attached to the charming beast. Truth be told, he was always partial to cats, but he never got the opportunity to get a familiar. And now both the cat and his unbearable mistress have become an important part of Snape's post-war life.

  
Hermione watched them with patience and courtesy unusual for a Gryffindor. She shared with Severus his traditional night patrols, every time persuading him to come with her to the kitchen and have a cup of tea with a spoonful of honey. She had long, easy conversations with him about Potions, Charms, and Arithmancy, she asked various questions about art, literature, and politics.

  
Snape was surprised to find that he enjoyed spending time with her. Hermione infused everyone with enthusiasm, vividly discussing various topics, scolding naughty children, and immediately begging Severus not to punish the little miscreants too much. Her magic flowed through Hogwarts, healing the wounds of the Castle, but never directly interfering with the prevailing way of things.

  
And so, on a summer night, filled with the scent of flowers and the sparks of fireflies flying over the lake, Severus finally made up his mind. He decided to take the first step towards developing their relationship. He decided to offer her something more than a few kisses, secretly given to her at Christmas, Beltane, and her birthday. However, Hermione would not have been Hermione if she had obediently waited for him to prepare a courteous speech, in the best traditions of Slytherin, and offer her his courtship.

  
She smiled slyly, leading him by the hand into the thicket of the forest, right into the clearing, on which the moon bells blossomed. She did not care about his past, nor the nights that he shared with other women, she was like expensive wine, like a sophisticated dance, like bewitching music, and he longed to follow her call.

  
They kissed, with each new gentle touch of their lips, more and more kindling the fire that was dormant in their blood. She called to him like an enchanting book that promised an exciting journey, like a new page in life, begging him to fill it with new meaning and make wise notes in the margins.

  
Flowers bloomed, fireflies flew overhead, spring came and brought the sparks that would give their future new colors. That future, in which there will be no place for pain, darkness, and fears.

  
Snape muttered an incantation, and the sky immediately filled with the bright sparks of fireworks that he loved so much as a child and did not hope to see again. Now his most important spark of life, his Hermione, was by his side.

  
The end.

  
March 7, 2021


End file.
